Cylinder printing-press



(No Moden) Y 3. sheets-smet 2.

J. T. HAWKINS. GY-LINDER `PRINTING PRESS. No. 257,576. Patented May 9,1882.

(N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. T. RAWKINS. GYLI-NDRR PRINTING PRRss.

No. 257.576. 'Patented May 9,1882.

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i ,y UNITED STATES PATENT Oi-inicie.

J OHN T. HAWKINS, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

sPEcIFieArioNroi-ming part `of Letters Patent No. 257,576, dated May e, 1882. application flied Aprn 1s, 1881. (No model.)

.To all whom tt may'concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. HAwKiNs, of Taunton, in the county `of Bristoland State of Massachusetts,have invented ainew and useful Improvement inCylinder Printing-Presses, which improvementis fully set forth and illustrated in the following specicationand accompanying drawings.

The invention as herein set forth' and `illustrated is more :particularly adapted `to a lithographic press, or tothe printingof `butoneside of a sheet. It'embodies, however, underlying principles or leading features of machine-:printing utilized and further developed in the several `applications herewith filed, and .marked successivelyB, C, D, and E.

The object of :this invention is to combine in a machine of simple and durable construction all thefollowin g enumerateddesirable features, which, although heretofore severally or in' certain groups appearin g,in more or less successful practice, in presses known by diiferenttechnicalnames have heretofore never all been combined in any one machine. Saidfeatures are, first, equalsurface. velocities of` impression-cylinder and bed second, an impression-cylinderV of comparatively small diameter; third, ab-

sence of all mechanism forcausingtlle impression-cylinder to rotate in but one direction while the bed reciprocates or makes a double stroke 5 fourth, absence of all mechanism for disartieulatin g and rearticulating the impression-cyl-` inder and bed, peculiar to and distinctiveot the well-known stop-cylinder"7 press; fifth, `aibsence of all buffers or bilder-springs forwarresting the motion of the bed, sixth, the delivery of each sheetof paper uponthe l'y-boardfwith its last-printed side 'upward and'withoutthe impression thereon having come `in contact with any part ofthe delivery mechanism; seventh, entire absence of tapes or cords from any A part of the machine; `eighth,free accessrto the form upon the bed-a feature especially important for lithographie workfand` fheretoforenot so well secured inlithographic presses.

\ This invention `consists. broadly in so Acombining or arranging the parts of acy'linder printing-press and so timing ltheir respective movements in relation to each other that the cylinder, during its forward rotation, shall pared,retrograding underitlie undelivered part of the sheet stillin contact with .it while the delivery of the=sheetisbeing effected by the delivery mechanism to `and upon theiiy-board. The-motion of the sheet (though `unchanged in direction throughout its whole delivery) isthus withthe cylinder during its forward revolution; but throughout the cylinders and beds simultaneous and continuous retrogression the sheets motion4 is' opposed to the direction of the cylinders motion, asthe cylinder does not ,stop, except, like the bed, when the crank is Vbeen successfully overcome without the use of further devices orcompensat-in g complications, while at the same time a cylinder of minimum diameter isobtained.

The'construction ofthe machine in detail is fully set `forth in the following description and accompanying drawings, illustrative of Vthe invention, in which- Figure l illustrates inside elevation alithographic :press to which this invention =has been applied. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine illustratedin Fig.l,-certain poi-nts hereinafter designated being omittedfor the sake of clearness. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine, the feed-board being removed in order toshowthe parts beneath it. Fig. 4 shows intwo views details of. parts by whose operation the traveling grippers of the machine are both opened andclosed.

In the said figures the same parts are indicated by like letters, as follows:

The letter A indicates the side frames of the machine; B, the impression-cylinder; C, the feed-board; C', the ily-board; It, the ink-rol'- ers; R', water-rollers; B', the bed; G, a crank secured to a shaft, G', to be driven by `any suitable means or power.

To the crank Gr is secured the crank-pin c,

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which, by the connectingfrod c', is connected to the shaft P', which serves as the axis or journal of the rolling pinion P.

The stationary rack E is secured to the bed or roller-ways B2 of the framing of the machine, and a corresponding rack,E', is attached to the under side of the reciprocating bed of the press B', to and between which racks the rolling pinion P is geared and rotated.

Journaled within the roller frame or carriage K are a series of rollers, E, which are secured to shafts S S, as is likewise secured the lpinion Pto the shaft P', journaled in the said frame or carriage. The rollers E2 revolve and traverse within the roller-waysB2, and support the bed B' by its corresponding rollerways,B3. This arrangement gives to the bed a rectilinear motion or length of travel double that imparted to the carriage K, thus avoiding the use of a crank of inconvenient length or too great radius.

Tlierack Ris secured to the upper side of the bed B', to which is geared the gear-wheel R5, secured to the impression-cylinder B.

The cam D upon the shaft G', through the intervention of the roller D', connecting-rod D2, crank-arm D3, eccentric rock-shaft D4, and cylinder-journal side rods, D5, raises and lowers the cylinder B to clear the .the types or form at the proper time.

The camF upon the shaft G', through the intervention of the roller F', connectingrod F2, crank-arm F3, rock-shaft F, the two attached lever-arms F5, and returning-springs F6, imparts a reciprocating motionv to the slides F7 upon the guides F8. rlhe guides F8 have their ends fixed in the standards S', secured to the frames A. The returning-springs FG and the connecting-rod F2 are, for the sake of clearness of illustration, omitted from Figs. 2 and 3.

The slides F7 carry two shafts, V3 V4, respectively provided with two lower and two upper jaws, g and g', forming two sets of traveling grippers. The upper jaws, g', and their shaft V4 have no other motion than that due to the reciprocation or travel of the slides F7; but the lower jaws, g, in addition to the same reciprocation, are caused to open and close for the purpose of seizing the sheets between or releasing them from said jaws at the proper times. The grippers g g' are thus operated. The lower jaws, g, are kept shut by means of the helical spring V5, coiled around their shaft V3; but when, in the course of delivery of the sheet, the small curved lever-arm V2, likewise secured to the shaft V3, is brought in contact with the roller V' upon the bracket V, it causesl a partial rotation of the shaft V3, and consequently the depression and opening of the jaw g, which opening releases the sheet from the grippers g g', whence it falls upon the fly-board below. As the grippers leave the rollery V they are again closed by the spring V5, and so remain until at the other end of their travel the jaws g are again opened by the arm VG, loosely mounted upon the shaft V3, coming in before the slides reverse, thereby releasing the jaw g, so that it is instantly closed upon the upperjaw, g, thus holding the sheet between said jaws by the reaction of the helical spring V5.

For clearness of illustration the gri ppers g g' and the mechanism for opening and closing them are omitted from Fig. 2. The bridge or fly-fin gers b b are placed nearly at a tangent to the top of the cylinder B, their ends not quite touching it, but supported by the rod b', the opposite ends being secured to a shaft, b2, journaled in the standards S'. By this arrangement said fingers may be turned away from the cylinder for ready access to it,

and removal of the ink-rollers B. The points of the fingers b strip the sheet head first from the cylinder B, the sheet being first released by the grippers K' and raised upon the fingers b by the lifter-fin gers K2, in the manner described in Patent No. 201,226, issued March 12, 1878. When released by the traveling grippers g g' the sheet falls against the sheet-stop n, forming part of the fly-board. Not being essential IOO to this invention, no devices are shown for operating the cylinder-grippers K' and lifterfm gers K2, and for clearness of illustration said attachments are omitted from the cylinder in Fig. 2.

The complete operation of the machine is as follows: The sheet, being fed to the usual guides from the feed-board C, is taken thence by the cylinder-grippers K just as the cylinder is brought almost (and practically) to rest by the arrival of the crank Gr at its dead-center". Correct feeding-register is thus assured, all these parts being then in a state of least motion. The crank G then passing its center commences to move the bed upon its forward or printing stroke, the cam D, through its connections above described, having at this point just brought the cylinder B down in position to make the impression. The bed thus put in motion causesthe cylinder to rotate forward and convey the sheet through the process of receiving the impression. When the cylinder has completed one revolution the grippers K open and the lifter-lingers K2 lift the advancing edge of the sheet from the cylinder B to enable it to enter upon the stripper-lingers b. The cylinder B is so proportioned as to make a still further considerable fraction o f a revoJ lution in the forward or printing direction, always sufficient to bring the following edge or tail of the largest sheet to be printed well clear of the bed or form. The sheet is therefore delivered by the cylinder a portion of its length upon the fingers b until its advancing edge IOS IIO

opposite directions.

reaches the point X. During this Aoperation the cam F, through its connections above described, has caused the traveling grippersg g to move from the roller V to the point X, the grippers first opening and then closing upon the advancing edge of the sheet, in the manner above described, at the moment when the crank G has reached its center, and when all the parts except the crank, the cams D and F, and the connecting-rod c have again come to practically a state of rest. By the further rotation ofthe crank Gr the cylinder commences to retrograde, andby the action of the cam F and its connections the traveling grippers g g( draw that part of the sheet undelivered by the cylinder from the same end over and upon the stripper-fingers b. Thus the surface of the cylinder and the sheet at this time move in The crank G, now completing its rotation, brings the bed and cylinder backto their starting-points, ready to re-4 ceive a succeeding sheet, duringwhich operation the grippers g g', through the operation of the cam F and its connections, draw the sheet entirely oi' the iingers b, when its following-edge drops upon the ily-board' G in front of the stop U, and its advancing edge is then released by the traveling grippers g g', as before described, at the time when all the parts except the crank G, the cams D and F, and the connecting-rod c have again practically reached a state of rest.

The advantages of the objects sought and accomplished by this system or method of delivery, and never heretofore accomplished as a whole in any one machine, are, in brief, as follows: the perfect facility for using the crank motion and the simplest and most direct gearing for bed and cylinder, thus not only insuring perfect equality of surface velocity in bed andcylinder and entirely dispensing with buffers and springs, but also imparting to the cylinder in its rotation the same smooth and easy gradation of motion as is transmitted bythe crank to the bed for its rectilinear or reciprocating motion. The diameter of the cylinder is reduced to a minimum, its entire surface or periphery being utilized for making theim pression, except the narrow section cut out for containing the gripper and lifter fingers and the blanket-rods. lhe sharpest impression possible is thus obtained with a minimum strain upon the machine, as well as minimum of total weight, and therefore a corresponding maximum speed of press. The sheets are taken from the feed-board by the cylinder-grippers when the cylinder is nearlyor practically at rest, thus insuring accurate feed-register, and the traveling or delivery grippers both seize and release the sheets when the sheets and grippers are nearly or practically at rest, thus insuring the deposit of an even pile of papers upon the ily-board. All articulation or locking and unlocking devices, intermediate gearing, universal joints, and other objectionable devices in common use for causing the cylinder to rotate in one-direction only, or to cause All tapes, cords, or strings in connection with any part of the delivery are entirely dispensed with and unobstructed access obtained to the format the back and two sides of the press.

The machine is not only unique as a Whole, but is simpler, cheaper, and more durable than any printing-machine heretofore constructed, capable of doing the finest quality of lithographic as well as other printing in plain or varied colors.

I am aware that it is not new to rotate the cylinder in one direction for making the impression and in the reverse directionfor making the retrograde motion of the reciprocating bed of the press, the cylinder being driven directly by the bed. V a

l am also aware that it is not new merely to rotate the cylinder in one direction only and to deliver each sheet head firstfrom :its top upon flyor bridge iin gers, which strip the whole of the sheet from the cylinder in the manner described in Patent No. 201,226, above mentioned. y

I am aware, also, that it is not new to use traveling grippers for the purpose of seizing, conveying, and releasing sheets of paper in the course of delivering the same from a printing-press; but,

As of my invention, I claiml. A printing-machine having an impressioncylinder geared directly and continuously to a reciprocating bed and alternately rotated thereby an equal distance in each direction, in cornbination with means, substantially as described, for taking a printed sheet head first from the top of the impression-cylinder and discharging said sheet partly during said cylinders direct or printing rotation and partly during its retrograde or non-printin g rotation, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a cylinder printing-press, in combination with a reciprocating bed and an impression-cylinder geared thereto, so as to make a greater rotation than one complete revolution in each direction to a single stroke of the bed, a series of stripper-fingers and a series of traveling sheet-grippers, whereby the sheets are first partially delivered to and upon said fingers by said cylinder during a part of its forward rotation, and then during its retrograde motion removed by said grippers from said cylinder and fingers and completely delivered upon the ily-board, substantially as set forth.

JOHN T. HAWKINS.

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